This application claims the priority of German Application No. 20 2006 018 839.8, filed Dec. 4, 2006, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a system for erecting structures and a support profile for erecting structures.
Known systems for erecting structures, in particular for tradeshow stands, have support profiles which may be connected to one another using so-called turnbuckles. The turnbuckles are inserted into chambers on the front face of a particular support profile and the support profiles have grooves, running in the longitudinal direction in the middle of their side faces, which have undercuts. A first support profile may then be placed flush on the lateral face of a further support profile and, by actuating the turnbuckle, it engages using catch hooks behind the undercuts of the groove running in the longitudinal direction and thus secures the two support profiles against one another. The turnbuckles are preferably eccentric-actuated, so that tradeshow stands may be assembled very rapidly from such support profiles, for example.
Using such systems, frame structures of the structures to be erected are first constructed. The frames may then be filled up with panels. If plate-shaped panels are inserted into the longitudinal grooves in the lateral faces of the support profile, it may be necessary to loosen the frame structure to insert the panels or to insert the panels already during the erection of the frame structure. Such frames are covered with material, and the attachment of such material coverings is thus time-consuming, because they must be laid around the support profile, tacked onto wood strips, or glued or threaded onto profile rods using loops, for example.
A system and a support profile for erecting structures are to be provided by the present invention, which make the attachment of panels or material coverings significantly easier.
For this purpose, a system is provided according to the present invention for erecting structures having a support profile and a clamping profile, the clamping profile being attachable to a lateral face of the support profile and having at least one first laterally open groove, which, in the state of the clamping profile attached to the lateral face, extends parallel to the lateral face of the support profile in relation to its longitudinal direction.
Using the clamping profile, the support profile may be supplemented in a simple way using laterally open grooves in the area of the particular lateral face of the support profile. These grooves may then be used for inserting panels or material coverings. Because the clamping profile is attachable to the lateral face of the support profile, it may first be attached to the support profile after a basic frame structure of the structure is erected. Already existing structures may thus be supplemented easily by panels or material coverings.
In a refinement of the present invention, the first groove, in the state of the clamping profile attached to the lateral face, extends parallel to the lateral face of the support profile in relation to the depth direction of the clamping profile.
A panel or a material covering may thus be inserted parallel to the lateral face of the support profile and it is thus possible that the panel extends up to directly in front of the lateral face of the support profile. In addition, it is thus possible that a material covering may be situated approximately flush to the external faces of the support profile, for example.
In a refinement of the present invention, the support profile has at least one second groove running in the longitudinal direction in its lateral face, the clamping profile being fastenable to the support profile using at least one fastener engaging in the second groove.
In this way, it is possible to fasten the clamping profile to the support profile without problems and the clamping profiles may be attached to the support profile and removed again reliably and rapidly.
In a refinement of the present invention, the second groove has at least one undercut and the fastener engages behind the undercut in the mounted state. An extremely reliable fastening may be provided in this way.
In a refinement of the present invention, the fastener is insertable into the second groove at a first angle thereto and engages behind the undercut at a second angle to the second groove, which is different from the first angle. The fastener is advantageously implemented as hooked in its section insertable into the second groove.
A fastener implemented in this way may be hung very easily in the second groove in the support profile. By simple insertion, the fastener may thus be secured in the second groove and, to fasten the clamping profile to the support profile, the fastener only still has to be adjusted in such a way that it exerts a force on the clamping profile in the direction toward the support profile. Instead of a hooked design, a T-shaped end may also be provided on the fastener, which is rotated to engage behind the undercut.
In a refinement of the present invention, the fastener is provided with a thread and a nut in its section lying outside the second groove in the mounted state.
Using the nut, the clamping profile may thus be drawn toward the support profile. This is particularly advantageous when attaching material coverings, because the material covering may be hung in the clamping profile in the still relaxed or only slightly tensioned state and then first tensioned by the gradual movement of the clamping profile toward the support profile. This gradual movement of the clamping profile may be performed by simply tightening the nut on the thread.
In a refinement of the present invention, the clamping profile is provided with an opening for inserting the fastener through, the opening being dimensioned in such a way that the fastener assumes the first angle when the clamping profile presses against the lateral face of the support profile and may be inserted into the second groove.
In this way, it is possible to first bring the clamping profile into its final position on the lateral face of the support profile, fix it there, and only then insert the fastener into the groove in the support profile. In this way, the clamping profile may be fastened very rapidly to the support profile.
In a refinement of the present invention, a textile planar element is provided, the textile planar element being at least sectionally provided with a weather strip on at least one lateral edge, which is insertable into the first groove of the clamping profile.
Material coverings having textile planar elements may thus be fastened to the clamping profile very rapidly and reliably, because the weather strip solely has to be inserted into the first groove. This makes it significantly easier to attach material coverings rapidly, as is required when erecting tradeshow stands, for example. Because the textile planar element solely has its weather strip inserted into the first groove of the clamping profile, the textile planar element is also removable again rapidly and easily, and without having to worry about damage.
In a refinement of the present invention, the weather strip has two parallel lateral faces, whose distance to one another is tailored to the width of the first groove.
In this way, the weather strip may be inserted easily into the first groove of the clamping profile. Because the textile planar element is then oriented perpendicular to the first groove and the weather strip on its lateral edges in the mounted state, the weather strip reliably holds the textile planar element on the clamping profile and/or the support profile. A pull in the surface plane of the textile planar element solely has the result that the weather strip braces in the groove. However, it is thus almost impossible that the material covering will detach unintentionally from the clamping profile. For this purpose, the weather strip and the first groove may also be tailored to one another in such a way that the weather strip is held in the first groove by a friction force sufficient for the secure hold. There are different possibilities for fastening the weather strip to the material covering. On one hand, the material may simply be laid around the weather strip, so that the weather strip lies in a material loop at the edge of the textile planar element. However, it is also possible to provide the weather strip with a sew-on tab, onto which the textile planar element is sewn.
In a refinement of the present invention, the textile planar element is implemented as stretchable.
In this way, wrinkle-free material coverings may be achieved easily. By the possibility of first inserting the weather strip of the textile planar element into the clamping profile and only then fastening the clamping profile to the support profile, the system according to the present invention makes it significantly easier to attach such stretchable textile planar elements.
In a refinement of the present invention, at least four support profiles, forming a frame, having attached clamping profiles are provided, the textile planar element being provided with a weather strip on all four lateral edges, and the textile planar element being implemented as stretchable and having a smaller area than the area enclosed by the frame in the relaxed state.
The problem on which the present invention is based is also solved by a support profile for erecting structures, in which at least one laterally open first groove is provided directly behind a lateral face of the support profile, this first groove extending parallel to the lateral face of the support profile in relation to both its longitudinal direction and also its depth direction.
Such support profiles are particularly suitable for inserting panels or material coverings, because the laterally open first groups are provided directly behind a lateral face of the support profile, the panels or material coverings being able to be situated approximately flush with the lateral face of the support profile.
In a refinement of the present invention, the first groove is at least sectionally provided with side walls running parallel to one another.
Such side walls running parallel to one another make it easier to insert weather strips of material coverings or to insert plate-shaped panels.
Further features and advantages of the present invention result from the following description in connection with the drawings.